Officials said Conservative MP's Bernardo bill unlikely to come before Parliament: emails
Government officials in the Privy Council Office discussed a Conservative private member's bill launched in response to convicted killer Paul Bernardo's transfer to a medium-security prison, noting it would likely never hit Parliament, internal emails show.
Documents obtained by The Canadian Press through access-to-information law show staff speculated about the chances the bill would ever be debated, unless the Liberal government agreed to move it up the priority list.
The bill proposed by Tory MP Tony Baldinelli, who hails from the region in Ontario where Bernardo committed his crimes, seeks to change the law so that people convicted of multiple murders would be required to serve out their entire sentences in maximum-security institutions.
"Just wondering if you have any knowledge of this," one staffer wrote to a colleague in the Privy Council Office, which supports the operations of the Prime Minister's Office and cabinet.
"No knowledge of this specific (bill)," the second staffer replied, pointing out that Baldinelli is not currently in line to bring a private member's bill forward for debate, under parliamentary rules.
"So the likelihood of this even getting through to be considered in this parliamentary session is very unlikely."
The first staffer replied: "Is there any other way for the Opposition party to advance legislation, other than via a (private member's bill)? I don't think so, but I am no expert!"
The only way it could be bumped up the priority list would be if the House of Commons agreed to do so through a motion, the second staffer wrote back, which would require the Liberal government to consent.
A spokesperson for the Privy Council Office said late Wednesday the communication is consistent with the role of "providing advice" and is "procedural in nature."
Legislation proposed by opposition MPs sometimes passes, but it can be a lengthy process. Most bills don't get past the first step.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has nonetheless been calling on the Liberal government to adopt Baldinelli's bill, which he introduced before Parliament broke for summer.
Last week, Poilievre's office accused the Liberal government of "ignoring calls" from mayors of the Ontario cities of Thorold and St. Catharines for Bernardo to be returned to his maximum-security lodgings.
The government says it played no role in the decision by Correctional Service Canada.
The correctional service moved Bernardoin May, and a public uproar ensued as critics questioned the government's handling of the move and families of Bernardo's victims called for it to be reversed.
Then-public safety minister Marco Mendicino said at the time that he found the decision "shocking and incomprehensible."
Before his ouster from cabinet last month, which was widely seen as a rebuke for his handling of the Bernardo transfer and other files, Mendicino issued a series of directives to the correctional service.
They sought to ensure that any future transfers of high-profile offenders would be better communicated to public safety ministers and victims' families. Mendicino had said his staff never informed him that Bernardo would be moved until after it happened, despite his office having knowledge of the matter three months beforehand.
An internal review by the correctional service found the decision to approve a transfer request from the notorious killer and serial rapist was sound and followed all applicable laws and policies.
Bernardo is serving an indeterminate life sentence, the stiffest under Canadian law, as a dangerous offender for the kidnapping, torture and murders of teenagers Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy in the early 1990s.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 9, 2023.
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Conservatives call on Elon Musk to step in after Liberals provide loan to Ottawa-based satellite operator
A $2.14-billion federal loan for an Ottawa-based satellite operator has Canadian politicians arguing about whether American billionaire Elon Musk poses a national security risk.
Sunken superyacht believed to contain watertight safes with sensitive intelligence data
Specialist divers surveying the wreckage of the US$40 million superyacht that sank off Sicily in August, killing seven people including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, have asked for heightened security to guard the vessel, over concerns that sensitive data locked in its safes may interest foreign governments, multiple sources told CNN.
Myths busted and lessons learned: John Vennavally-Rao on his surgery to reverse his ostomy
Twenty-seven year Â鶹ӰÊÓ reporter and anchor John Vennavally-Rao shares his story of what it was like to have an ostomy bag as part of his health-care battle. 'I’m grateful for what it did to extend my life,' he writes in a personal column for CTVNews.ca.
The British Columbia election campaign is set to officially start today, with Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin issuing the writ for the Oct. 19 vote.
A northern Ontario man is facing a $12,000 fine after illegally shooting a moose near the Batchawan River.
Heavy metal exposure could increase cardiovascular disease risk, study finds
A new study is adding to emerging research showing that exposure to metals such as cadmium, uranium and copper may also be associated with the leading cause of death worldwide, cardiovascular disease.
Unusual flippered feet are making their way into the Saint Lawrence River this weekend. Led by underwater explorer and filmmaker Nathalie Lasselin, volunteer divers are combing the riverbed near Beauharnois in Montérégie to remove hundreds of tires that have been polluting the aquatic environment for decades.
Hezbollah targets base near Haifa after Israeli strike in Beirut killed 37, including top commander
The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah announced that it fired a barrage of missiles at a military base deep inside Israel early Sunday following an Israeli airstrike more than a day earlier that killed at least 37 people, including one of the militant group’s senior leaders as well as women and children.
A sea lion swam free after a rescue team disentangled it near Vancouver Island earlier this week.
Local Spotlight
Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.
Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.
An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.
They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.
A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.
Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.
The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.
It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.